The Meaning of Dreams
by CelticGoddess09
Summary: Kagome thinks Inuyasha and the others are dead, so she returns to the present and seals the well. But are they really? Only her dreams will tell... [InuKag] COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Hi people, this is my first story, so please be nice. I hope you enjoy it and I'm sorry that it's short.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. Wish I did though- it'd be nice.

**The Meaning Of Dreams-Prologue**

It was night in Feudal Japan, but it was far from quiet. A dark field was the sight of a desperate battle...

Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others stood facing off against Naraku. They were all exhausted, but Naraku seemed to have a countless number of attacks. Now he lifted his hands in front of his face. A swirling ball of energy began to form, emitting sparks of light and thick streams of poisonous smoke.

Sango and Miroku soon fell, knocked out by the poison, followed shortly by Shippo and Kilala. This left only Kagome and Inuyasha to face the ball of evil energy. Inuyasha was barely able to stay upright. Kagome was protected somewhat by her miko powers, but even she was growing tired.

Suddenly, Kagome felt an alien power wash through her. She gasped in shock. Not even knowing how she did it, she created a shield around herself. The ball of energy grew bigger. Kagome tried to widen the shield to include Inuyasha and the others, but it wouldn't budge. The ball of energy left Naraku's hands. Kagome screamed. She fell to the ground as the dark ball of energy sped towards her. The last thing she saw was a bright light surrounding her. Then everything went black.

When Kagome came to, it was morning. "It's so...quiet," she thought.

For a moment she stared up at the clear blue sky, wondering why she was lying out in an open field. Then the events of the previous night came crashing in and she sat up with a gasp.

She looked around. When she saw Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, she sighed with relief. The shield had apparently moved to cover them at the last second. Then she looked closer at them.

"No!!!!" Kagome screamed as she crawled over to Inuyasha. He wasn't breathing. She checked his pulse. None. She sobbed raggedly as she crawled over to Sango, Miroku, and Shippo in turn. The same result. They were all dead. She tried to use her miko powers to revive them, but to no avail.

" No! This can't be true!" she screamed. " I won't accept it!"

But she would have to, for there was nothing she could do...

She stayed with them for hours, crying till all her tears were gone. She arranged them all tenderly, not even noticing the abominable shape her own body was in. Finally, she stood up, dry-eyed. She stared around for a moment helplessly, and then began to walk almost blindly. She soon realized that she was heading toward Kaede's village--and the well. Then she heard a voice.

"Kagome? Is that you?"

"Myoga?" she asked, holding up the flea demon that had landed on her hand.

"Yes. What happened, Kagome?!"

Grief washed through her. "He's dead, Myoga."

"Who? Naraku?"

"No. Him. Inuyasha. And Sango, and Miroku, and Shippo, a-a-and it's all my fault!" She fell to her knees. "I-I couldn't save them!" She rocked back and forth, shaking, but no more tears came.

After about five minutes, Kagome got up and began to walk again, slowly.

Myoga called after her, "But where are you going, Kagome?"

She paused, and half turned back. "Home," she said softly. "Goodbye, Myoga."

Then she turned and began to run. She ran from her past. She ran from her grief. And she ran from the death of the one she loved.

Kagome avoided the village and ran until she reached the well. Then she threw herself in, 500 years forward in time. When she had reached the other side, she sat there for a minute at the bottom of the well. Then she slowly climbed out. As her feet hit the well house floor, however, her body suddenly gave way. As she sank onto the ground she thought distantly, "I have no reason to go back. Why should I leave the well open? It's only a reminder of my grief."

Suddenly, she was again flooded with that alien power. And again, she had no idea how she did what she did. A glittering dome rose over the well, though, fixing itself to the floor. Kagome just sat there staring at it until unconsciousness rolled in.

Later, as though through a haze, she heard worried voices.

"Kagome? Is that you in there?" There was a pause then the doors of the well house slid open. "Kagome? Omigosh, Grandpa, come quickly!"

What is it Sota? Oh! My dear Kagome! We must get her to the hospital!"

"Yeah, I know. Can you carry her Grandpa?"

" No, I'm too old, but your mother might be able to. Run quickly and get her, Sota. Hurry!"

Then Kagome kind of drifted until she heard her mother's voice and felt someone brushing her hair fom her face. "Oh, Kagome," her mother whispered. "Hang on a little bit longer!"

Kagome felt herself being lifted up and carried up the steps of the well house. Then the unconsciousness returned and she sank into blackness.

So there you go. I rather like it, and I hope you do to. Please review, people! All you have to do is hit the little purple button down there in the right hand corner. Puh-leez????(puppy-dog eyes)

Well, this is T.B.Q. Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi people, here's Chapter 1, since the last one was the prologue. Hope you enjoy it…. IF ANYONE'S READING!!!!!!!! Ah, sorry about that. Got a little excited.

**Disclaimer:** I own Inuyasha! . . . . . Well, really I don't. But I wish I did! It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi— she's lucky.

**The Meaning of Dreams- Chapter 1**

Kagome was in the hospital for a week. Every night, she was haunted by the face of Inuyasha as he has looked when she left him. Every night that is, until the sixth night. Then her dream was a little different…

_Inuyasha strode toward the well, Myoga on his shoulder._

_"She did what, old Myoga?" Inuyasha snapped._

_"She said that you were dead," Myoga said, jumping up and down. "Then she ran off toward the well. I, naturally, came immediately to you, milord. I was puzzled, however, when I found you only unconscious, not dead."_

_"Argh, whatever!" Inuyasha groaned. "Kagome, get ready for a rude wake-up call."_

_He had reached the well and now he jumped in. However, whatever Kagome had done held, and he couldn't get through. All that happened was that he landed at the bottom of the well._

_"What the-"he yelled. "Work, damn well!" He jumped up and down. Nothing happened. "Hey, Myoga! What's wrong with the well?!"_

_"What? Is it not working?"_

_Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Obviously, or I wouldn't be still standing here!"_

_"Hmm..." Myoga peered at the well. "Kagome must have put up some sort of barrier. Only she can open it now."_

_"What?" Inuyasha yelled. "Why would she do that? Oh, Kagome, you are so dead!"_

Kagome awoke with a start. What a strange dream. It had been so clear, so real. For a moment she wondered…Then she shook her head vigorously. It couldn't have been real; that's just not what dreams are.

No, she had seen him to be dead with her own eyes. And it was her fault, she should have tried more. Kagome sobbed herself back into a dreamless sleep.

The next night, however, she had a similar dream:

_Inuyasha was again standing near the well. This time, Sango and Miroku were standing in the background. They looked tired, but otherwise okay. Inuyasha was holding Tetsusaiga, which was glowing red._

_He jumped at the well, obviously trying to break Kagome's barrier. Nothing really happened, except that he got thrown back about ten feet. _

_"Argh! Why won't this damn thing open?!" he yelled from the ground._

_"Probably because Kagome made the barrier on her side of the well, not this one," Miroku said diplomatically. _

_"Why'd she even make a barrier in the first place?!" _

_Sango frowned. "I don't really know, but judging from what Myoga said, she probably thinks that you're dead."_

_That shocked him. "She thinks what?" he asked in disbelief._

_"She thinks you're dead…" Sango's voice got fainter as Kagome woke up…_

"Yeah, and also that it's my entire fault," Kagome thought to herself, still caught up in her dream. Then she gave herself a mental shake and said, "What are you thinking? You're just dreaming again. Inuyasha's dead and you have to get over it.

But was he? Kagome began to wonder…

Each night the dreams continued. They varied in content, but almost all of them included Inuyasha and the well. In some of them he was yelling at the well; in some at the absent Kagome. Sometimes Sango, or Miroku or Shippo would be with him, sometimes not. As time went by, however, they began to appear less frequently, but Inuyasha would always be in it. Soon, most of the dreams had the same scene in them:

_Inuyasha was sitting by the well, peering in it. He called softly every now and then, "Come back, Kagome… Come back..."_

So that's chappy 1. Sorry if it took awhile- I had a lot to do. Now for my notice- I forgot to say it last time.

I WILL NOT CONTINUE THIS FIC IF NO ONE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!

I got no reviews last time, but I posted this chapter to give people a second chance. So if you want the rest of the story—REVIEW! It doesn't even have to be long.

Well, I said what I want to say, so bye until next time. Au revoir, T.B.Q.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi. I'm back! Sorry for the really long wait; I had a really hectic week, and I didn't have chance to type this until now. But here it is—Chapter 2! Enjoy!

Thank you, Hanyou-Inuasha and YayForPie! You were the only ones who reviewed and it really meant a lot to me to have someone review! Thank you so much!

**Disclaimer:**

**Me**: I don't own Inuyasha. Sob, sob!

**Inuyasha**: Well of course you don't. Nobody owns me!

**Kagome**: I do.

**Inuyasha**: Keh! No you don't wench. How ridiculous.

**Kagome**: Inuyasha, you jerk! Sit!

Wham! Inuyasha does a faceplant into the ground.

**Me**: Hey you two! Knock it off. Well, on with the story!

**The Meaning of Dreams- Chapter 2**

While she was stuck in the hospital, Kagome had plenty of time for thinking.  
She tried not to think too much about Inuyasha and the others- the pain was still too fresh and she always ended up crying. Instead she thought about the power that had filled her twice before. It had felt alien, and yet a little bit familiar at the same time. Kagome figured that she should find out more about it — and how to control it.

After about a week of searching through Tokyo, she finally found someone who knew what was going on. It turned out that the power really was still her miko power- it had just gotten stronger. The aged miko that Kagome met taught her how to control it. Soon, Kagome learned how to make barriers, and bring them down. She learned how to create illusions; how to mask one's power, presence and scent; and how use her miko power to fight. She also earned the nickname Kasai. Finally,after a couple months, Kagome knew everything there was to know.

Meanwhile, her dreams continued. They were so often, and so real, that Kagome began to have a feeling that they were true. Finally, she couldn't stand it any more. She had to find out the truth. She decided to go back.

* * *

The well house was quiet and eerie as Kagome opened the doors, moved slowly down the familiar steps, and stood in front of the well. The barrier was still there.

She checked herself nervously before she cut the barrier. She couldn't risk her quarry realizing who she was immediately. She had used her powers of illusion to change her raven black hair to a chocolate brown, and had put it up into an intricate braid. Now green eyes instead of brown shone with nervousness and excitement, and a different voice came from her mouth.

Kagome had changed her clothes as well. Her uniform would have identified her immediately. She was now wearing an outfit similar to Inuyasha's, except that hers had green pants, a white overshirt, and a red undershirt. (A/N- I don't know what they're called so just bear with me.)

As she stood there, she remembered the dream that had firmed her resolve to come back…

_Inuyasha was sitting on front of the well as usual. Then there was a rustling in the forest behind him, and Sango, Miroku, and Shippo stepped out. Kirara was beside them, in her big cat form, with a large pack on her back._

"_Come on, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "It's time to go."_

"_Go? Inuyasha asked. "Go where?"_

"_To find the jewel shards," Sango replied. "And find Naraku. Remember?"_

"_No!" Inuyasha jumped up. "We can't leave. What if Kagome comes back? She won't know how to find us!"_

_Sango moved to stand in front of him. "Inuyasha," she said gently. "You must accept it. She isn't coming back. It's been four months. You must get on with your life."_

_He turned stiffly away from her. Then after a moment, his shoulders slumped. "Fine," he said. "But," he wheeled around, "that's all we'll do. We'll find the jewel shards and find Naraku. That's all." There was a fierce light in his eyes that made no one want to disagree._

Kagome came back to reality with a start. "Enough!" she told herself. "You can't put it off forever."

She concentrated, and suddenly she was holding a knife made of the same substance as the barrier. Delicately, she inserted it in the barrier, and made a long cut. The glittering walls fell apart and disappeared. Kagome took a deep breath, and jumped in

A blue light shone from the well, and then the well house was as quiet and eerie as before- and deserted.

* * *

It was night when Kagome climbed out of the well into the Feudal Era. She smiled. She was tired, but that was exactly her plan

As soon as she had had her last dream, Kagome had began making her plans. She had been up all day, making her outfit, packing, and doing last minute training. At about nine o'clock at night, Kagome was tired, and she had figured that enough time had elapsed for Inuyasha and the others to not be right outside the well when she emerged. When she was completely ready, she had headed for the well.

Now she started walking towards the Sacred Tree, first making sure that her illusion was still in place. It was. When she reached the Tree, she sat down on the roots at its base with a grateful sigh. Before she went to sleep, however, she reviewed her plan.

Kagome had decided to find out if her dreams were true first. She would go looking for Inuyasha and the others, but not let herself be seen. If her dreams were just that-dreams, and they weren't alive, well…Well, she would just go back home and try to forget about everything that had happened.

If they were alive though, she would hunt down Naraku and make him pay. She was pretty sure that they were alive, and if they were, she was positive that Naraku had to have had something to do with her earlier belief to the contrary. Now that her miko powers had gotten stronger, she could think of plenty of ways to make him pay. Oh, yes…plenty…(evil thoughts). She thought about it until she went to sleep.

_It was late afternoon. Miroku stood on a path talking to some villagers. Inuyasha, Sango, and Shippo stood behind him._

_"Of course we will exorcise this demon for you," Miroku was saying._

_"Miroku!" Inuyasha hissed. Miroku held up a hand at him without turning around, while the village spokesman said, "Thank you very much , sir monk."_

_"However," Miroku said. "I can better exorcise it during the day. Would it be alright if we spent one night at your village, and then I will gladly exorcise it for you in the morning."_

_Sango and Shippo rolled their eyes and Inuyasha _ _just glared while the villager said, "Of course, of course. You can come stay at my house."_

_"Thank you very much," said Miroku._

_"Oh no," said the villager as they turned around, "Thank you."_

_Miroku waited for the rest of the group to catch up before he started walking again._

_"Miroku are you crazy?!" Inuyasha half-yelled. "We don't have time for this. We need to find the Sacred Jewel shards! And Naraku!"_

_"Calm down,Inuyasha," Miroku answered. "It was fortunate that this appeared. Now we get food and a night's lodging at the small cost of having to slay a small-fry demon. We can do it quickly tomorrow morning and then leave. Now, I for one am going to enjoy the rest of my day." He marched down the path after the villagers. The others followed, Sango and Shippo stifling their giggles at Inuyasha's sulking expression._

Kagome awoke with a grin on her face. She had recognised the area on her dream, and it was close. She would be able to get there by early morning. Then she would find out the truth.

* * *

Whew! That chapter took me a long time to type it. (I'm a slow typer.) But here it is! Yay!

Please review people. You know you want to. Just press the little purple button that's down there on the left.

See you again next time! Which in fact reminds me. Next time will probally not be until next weekend because of school and such, but I will try for next Sunday. See ya! T.B.Q.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi, I'm back! Sorry for the really long delay; I had a really busy week. Well, here's Chapter 3… or 4 - I'm not sure… Anyways, here's the stupid chapter.

Oh yeah, thank you **topgal2882, YayForPie, Inu5292 **for reviewing. It meant alot.

**Disclaimer**: I own Inuyasha! Wait, I see the lawyers coming… I gotta run! (calls over shoulder)I'm just joking, I don't own Inuyasha! There, are you happy now?!

* * *

**The Meaning of Dreams - Chapter 3**

Kagome set off immediately. The first streaks of dawn were just showing in the sky when she arrived at the outskirts of the village. She found an available, tall tree, concentrated, and used her miko powers to jump up into it. Then she used them again to become invisible and undetectable.

After about an hour of waiting up in the tree, and eating a snack that she had brought with her, she heard voices. Kagome spotted several figures just exiting the village. "Okay," she told herself. " Just stay calm. It might not be them." The figures paused for a moment, and then by pure luck, they came to stand near her tree. Kagome leaned forward and caught her breath. It** was** them. They weren't dead!

Kagome resisted the urge to simply throw herself from the tree with difficulty. She felt positively lightheaded. They were alive! They were alive! They were alive!!!!!

For a moment, she considered just going down there now, and rejoining them. What would be the harm? But then she thought about Inuyasha's possessive nature and decided against it. If she went back to them, he probably would never let her out of his sight; let alone find and kill Naraku. No, it was better to get that over with first, and then go back.

Kagome jumped down and out of her tree, landing silently on the ground. She prepared to leave. After all, the sooner she killed Naraku, the sooner she could return. After she had traveled about a quarter of a mile, however, she felt a vague yet malignant aura in the area and paused. She stood stock still for a moment, pinpointing the exact location. Then her eyes flew open. It was coming from the fields she had just left. Kagome wavered for a moment, and then spun and set off at a run back through the trees.

Arriving at the edge of the trees a couple minutes later, Kagome paused to scan the fields as she caught her breath. Her eyes sought out the source of the aura, and found the demon that Inuyasha and the rest were fighting. Surely that could not be it! It was merely a small monkey demon. Then something else caught her eye. A small figure was using the other demon's attacks as cover to sneak up on the others.

Puzzlement ran through her for a moment as she wondered why the others couldn't see it. Then she saw the glimmer of a barrier and understood. Her miko training had made her able to see through barriers, which was why she could see the figure. Inuyasha and the others had just finished with the monkey demon and were relaxing as Kagome stepped out of the trees. Armed with her trusty bow and arrows, she let her barriers fall and shot an arrow at the figure as she screamed, "Look out!"

Inuyasha and the others looked over at her in confusion. The figure threw itself out of the way but the sacred arrow was able to destroy the barrier. The aura increased and Kagome gasped as she recognized it. "Naraku!" she growled. Then she realized that it wasn't strong enough to be him. It had to be one of his incarnations.

All of this flew through her mind as she charged at the figure. She fired arrow after arrow as she yelled to Inuyasha and the others, "Attack it! Now!" Inuyasha stared at her in shock for a moment, and then shook himself, and prepared to attack the incarnation. He raised the Tetsusaiga and yelled, "Wind Scar!"

Kagome was close enough to the incarnation to see the shock and horror on its face as she shot her most powerful arrow yet straight at the creature's heart. Then she threw up a barrier of her own as Inuyasha's Wind Scar tore past her. The incarnation disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Kagome sighed in relief, but it turned into a swiftly stifled groan as she saw Inuyasha and the others running towards her. "This is just what I don't need," she thought as they approached. At least her appearance illusion was still up.

"Hey, wench," Inuyasha said. "Who are you and where the hell did you come from?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. Same old Inuyasha. Well, almost. There was something missing in his eyes, a spark that used to be there. Kagome worried inwardly, but did not ask about it. Instead she said, "Well, for one, my name is not wench, it is K-Kasai." She cursed inwardly; she had almost said Kagome! She rushed on. "And secondly, I came from right out of those trees over there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a quest to complete." She bowed, and then turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Miroku called after her. "Who exactly are you and may I ask you a question?"

Kagome sighed before turning and walking back. "You just asked one, you know," she pointed out. "But anyways, I am a traveling miko who happened to see that you needed some assistance. Now, what's your question?" she asked, although she already had a pretty good idea what it was.

He moved to stand in front of her. "Will you bear my child?"

SMACK!! WHAM!! Miroku staggered back, dazed from a combination of Kagome's slap and Sango's Hiraikotsu.

"Miroku!" Sango groaned. Inuyasha and Shippo rolled their eyes. "You'll have to forgive Miroku." she told Kagome. "He's a natural pervert. Well, my name's Sango, that's Inuyasha, and that's Shippo." She pointed to each in turn.

"Hi," Kagome answered, giggling. To Miroku she said, "You shouldn't have even bothered. I'm pretty much already taken." She glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye and blushed faintly. "Well, I'm sorry but I have to go now. Goodbye and good luck."

**Inuyasha's POV (back in time a few minutes)**

"Who the hell is this girl?" I thought as she stood talking to Sango. "She seems so familiar..."

I turned my full attention back to her just in time to hear her say, "I'm pretty much already taken," and glance slightly at **me **and blush for some reason. "Huh?" I thought.

Then she said, "Well, I'm sorry but I have to go now. Goodbye and good luck." She turned and began to walk away.

I have no idea what made me do it, but for some reason I leaped into her path and barred her way. "Wait a minute," I said. "Who exactly are you, and what is this quest that you were talking about?"

She sighed in annoyance. "I can't tell you everything," she said. "There's someone I have to find. He did something to me, a deception I can't forgive. That's why I have to find him. And kill him. And you are not going to stop me, Inuyasha!" she glared up at me.

Now I was even more confused. "Huh?" was all I could manage.

She sighed again. "How about I make a deal with you?" she said. "I will tell you everything you wish to know and more. After I find and kill Na- the person I'm searching for. I will meet you at the Sacred Tree in a week."

I stared down at her for a moment without seeing her. "Was she about to say Naraku?" I wondered as I thought about it.

"Feh! Why should I, wench?" I asked as I looked down again and received a shock. She wasn't there. I spun around and saw her walking toward the trees.

She called over her shoulder at me, "Because I asked you to. And because someone you know will be waiting for you there." She was almost at the trees by now. Then I heard a voice I knew very well whisper, "Come to me, my love," as she turned and disappeared from my sight and senses. It was as if she had popped out of existence.

I dropped to my knees as I whispered _her_ name. "Kagome…"

* * *

So there you go. I told you I'd have it up by Sunday. Did you like it? Review and tell me what you think. I had to edit it a bunch of times, but I think that it turned out pretty okay. Well, until next time! T.B.Q. 


	5. Chapter 5

I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!! I really thought that I had already posted this chapter. When I found out that I didn't I felt so bad. I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me.

But on a different note, this is the last chapter! And it's a lot longer than the other ones. I'm happy that I realized my mistake now, because on Sunday I'm going to be heading off for twelve days in Europe! And on top of that, it's right before my Spring break, so I get FOUR WEEKS off of school. Yay!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: For the last time – I do not own Inuyasha!

**The Meaning of Dreams – Chapter 5**

After Kagome left the others, she traveled for about an hour and then sat down against a tree to take a rest. Exhausted by a busy day, she soon fell asleep.

_Sango, Miroku and Shippo were sitting down around a recently set up camp. Inuyasha was furiously pacing in front of them. _

"_So you're saying that you think that Kasai is Kagome?" Miroku was saying. "Inuyasha, that's ridiculous. For one thing, she didn't look or dress anything like Kagome. And for the other, if Kagome came back, she wouldn't exactly disguise herself from us."_

"_I know that," Inuyasha snapped. "But she must be connected with Kagome in some way. Yes, I know she didn't look or smell anything like Kagome, but then why did I hear Kagome's voice? And she did act kinda like Kagome. Just not so ditsy. More self-assured."_

"_I'm listening to what you're saying," Sango said. "And maybe she is connected with Kagome in some way. But I think our best bet would be to do as she said and wait back at Kaede's village for her. Then we can talk to her."_

"_But Sango," Inuyasha said. "I'm almost positive that she's going after Naraku. And you know that no one can go after Naraku alone. Shouldn't we at least go after her and help her?"_

"_Yeah Inuyasha," said Shippo. "That's a great idea. But there's one problem – we have no way to track her. She has some way of hiding her smell and aura, so she's undetectable."_

_Inuyasha froze, and then turned partway towards Shippo. He stayed that way for a moment and then turned back around and flung himself down at the base of a tree. "Fine," he said, sullenly. "We'll wait until she comes to the Sacred Tree."_

Kagome awoke from the dream thinking. Was Inuyasha right? Could she take on Naraku by herself? Yes, she decided. She could. She was much stronger now. Inuyasha just didn't know. (Ha, ha, she's overconfident. Not a good thing. Oh, sorry. I'll shut up now.)

Getting up from her resting spot, Kagome closed her eyes, stood still, and tried to sense Naraku's aura. Opening her eyes, she smiled. He was in his ever-present castle, only a day or two away. She checked her illusion and power concealer spells one last time, and then started off. Naraku would never know what hit him.

As she set off, her thought was, "I can't believe that Inuyasha thought I was ditsy!"

As soon as she arrived at the castle, a day later, Kagome could also sense the barrier around it. She decided not to completed destroy it, but just cut herself a way through.

As soon as she did so, she made her way past the unobservant guards and entered the familiar main courtyard. Naraku had apparently sensed someone entering his barrier, for in was right there in his disgustingly familiar baboon costume.

"And who exactly are you, wench?" he asked, smirking as Kagome stepped into the courtyard.

"Why, Naraku," Kagome asked sweetly. "Don't you recognize me?" She let her appearance illusion drop.

"You!" he snarled, losing his smirk. Then he regained his composure after a minute, and the smirk returned. "How nice to see you again, Kagome."

"Naraku," she said angrily, losing all traces of sweetness. "Tell me one thing before I kill you. Why did you do it?"

"Do what?' he asked innocently.

"You know what I mean!" she yelled. "You did something that made me think Inuyasha and the others were dead. What did you do?! And why?!"

"An illusion, my dear," he said airily. "And I must say that you fell for it quite nicely. As for why? I should think that it would be quite obvious. I merely wanted you out of the way. There is, of course, a little difficulty now that you're back, but," an ugly look appeared on his face, "there won't be for long. For now I am going to kill you."

"Ha, you wish, spider-boy," Kagome yelled as she finally unveiled her miko powers. "I am so totally different now!"

The battle lasted for quite a while. Kagome would shoot her energy-charged arrows at Naraku, and he would dodge them and send tentacles and poisonous vapors at her. She would either dodge them or put up a barrier.

Suddenly, Kagome disregarded her arrows, and sent a wave of power at Naraku. He put up his own barrier. In a flash, she was in front of it, and cutting through. Now she had a sword made of her miko power, and thrust it straight into Naraku's chest. "Die!" she yelled.

"Ha, do you really think it's that easy to kill me?" Naraku snarled. Suddenly, Kagome found herself thrown back. When she looked up, Naraku was escaping into the sky.

"Come back, you coward!" she yelled at him.

He merely looked back at her and smirked. Infuriated, Kagome realized that she was too weak to follow. All she could do was take small satisfaction in the fact that she had at least wounded Naraku pretty badly. She also realized that Inuyasha was right and she would have better luck with all of them together. Then she slipped into unconsciousness, barely managing to put a barrier around herself.

When Kagome awoke, a couple hours had passed. She lay for a moment cursing herself first for letting Naraku get away, and then second for being so stupid to think that she could take him on by herself. Then she levered herself up, and set off to do the only thing that made sense—go back to Inuyasha and the others and search together. They were really where she belonged. She knew that now.

Determined, Kagome set off. Amazingly, she had come through the battle with only a couple scratches. Her hair had come out of its braid, however, and she decided to leave it down. She did reapply the rest of her illusion, concealing her scent as well. She was curious as to what Inuyasha thought of her leaving, and the only way to find out was as Kasai.

It took Kagome about two days to reach Kaede's village. On the way, she was able to capture two jewel shards from a small demon that was using them to terrorize a local village. She easily destroyed the demon, and enjoyed a meal in the village. There, she also found out that the group had passed through a couple days ago. This made her sure that they would be at Kaede's village by now.

When she arrived, she decided to skirt the village and head straight for the Sacred Tree. She could sense that the village was where Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were, and that Inuyasha was at the Sacred Tree. She would rather deal with Inuyasha first.

As she came in sight of the Sacred Tree, she speeded up and her pulse quickened. She wondered why she didn't here anything, but as she rounded the last tree, her question was answered. Inuyasha was, surprisingly, asleep.

Watching him sleep, Kagome felt her love for him surge through her. Not paying attention to it, she accidentally let the masking on her scent slip. She hastily resumed it, but he had smelled it and was waking up.

"Kagome?" he asked groggily.

"Who's Kagome?" she asked.

"Wha-! Oh, it's you," he said, now fully awake.

"Yes it's me," she said as she sat down beside him. "Who's Kagome?"

"Hey, I thought that the deal was that you would tell me stuff!" he said indignantly. "And besides, I think you already know who Kagome is."

"Well, humor me and tell me about her," she said. "And then I'll answer your questions."

"Keh! Fine!" he said. "Well," he paused. "Kagome was a miko. I know this sounds hard to believe, but she came here from the future. 500 years to be exact. She was the first one to really accept me as a hanyou. She stayed by my side. I mean, she would go home some times for a while, but she would always come back. Then one time, after we were fighting Naraku, I wok up and she was gone. She had gone back to her time and put a barrier around the well that connected out times. I had no way of reaching her. That was four months ago, and I haven't seen her since. Dammit!" He struck his hand against the Sacred Tree. "Why? Why'd she leave?" There was a pause, during which Inuyasha didn't even notice that Kagome had begun to cry softly. Then he began to speak again.

"Then you came along. Right before you left last time, you sounded like her for a minute. You even said something like her. And when I woke up a little while ago, you smelled like her. Please, you must know something about her! Please!" He turned to look at her and finally noticed the tears. "Hey! Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Inuyasha!" she sobbed, beginning to let go of her illusion. "It was Naraku. He did something to make me think you were dead. So I went home. I'm so sorry!"

"Wait," he said. "Huh?"

She merely plowed on. Her illusion was almost gone. "But then I kept having dreams about you, so I decide to come back. And when I saw you alive I was so happy. But I was stupid enough to think that I could kill Naraku by myself. That's why I left. And of course I couldn't kill Naraku! I'm sorry! I'm—umph!"

This last was caused by Inuyasha hugging her close as the last of her illusion faded away. "Kagome?" he whispered hardly daring to believe. "Is it really you?"

She nodded into his chest.

"Kagome!" He hugged her tighter. "You came back! You actually came back! Thank you!"

Suddenly he pulled he face up and kissed her, long and hard. Kagome kissed him back just as fiercely. As they pulled away, Inuyasha looked at her and said seriously, " I want to say this now. I realized it after you left – I love you, Kagome."

"What about Kikyo?" she whispered.

"Never mind Kikyo," he told her. "She's dead, and I love you. Kikyo never accepted me the way you do. I still want to avenge Kikyo, and I think of her as my first friend, but you, Kagome, are the one I love."

"Oh, Inuyasha," she said. "I love you too. And I have for so long."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And I'm also really sorry for leaving. I shouldn't have fallen for Naraku's trick."

"Shh," he said. "It's okay. All that matters is that you're back now." He hugged her again. Exhausted by the long time she had gone without sleep and the battle she had fought two days ago, Kagome began to drift asleep in his arms. "I love you Kagome," was the last thing she heard.

"I love you too," she said sleepily. Then she was out.

_Inuyasha looked tenderly down at the sleeping Kagome. After a couple minutes, he picked her up bridal style and stood up. Kagome merely nestled even more against him. He bean to walk through the forest towards Kaede's village. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were there._

"_Hey, who's that Inuyasha?" Shippo yelled as Inuyasha (and Kagome) emerged from the trees._

"_Doesn't that outfit belong to Kasai?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha got closer._

"_Kasai? Oh yeah, that's the name she gave us," Inuyasha said, looking down at the sleeping Kagome._

"_Huh?" Sango asked. "What are you talking about?"_

_Inuyasha chuckled delightedly. "You were wrong, Sango. She did come back!"_

"_What are you—oh!" Sango's eyes widened as recognition dawned. "Is that really…?"_

"_Kagome? Yes it really is," Inuyasha looked so pleased with himself._

"_Kagome!" Sango, Shippo, and Miroku all yelled at the same time, running forward._

"_Shh! You'll wake her up," Inuyasha frowned at them._

Then Kagome was pulled away. She hovered in darkness for a while, and then slowly began to wake up. She opened her eyes to see Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede all looking at her.

"He-hello," she said drowsily. Then she came fully awake as Sango and Shippo jumped on her and started hugging her. "Whoa-whoa!" she yelled. "Don't suffocate me!"

"Sorry, Kagome," Sango said, laughing, as she and Shippo let go of Kagome. "We're just so glad that you're back. What happened anyways? One day you were here, and when we woke up you were gone."

"Yeah, I want the whole story too," Inuyasha said. "All I could get out of you earlier was something about Naraku, dreams, and you kept saying sorry.

"Well, I am sorry," Kagome said. "I really shouldn't have left."

"It's okay," Miroku said. "Just tell us what went on."

The story took a while in the telling. She noted their startled looks when she told them about the increase in her miko powers, which changed to amazement as she told them about the dreams. When she came to the part when she met them as Kasai, Miroku blushed. Kagome saw and smiled wickedly.

Before she could say anything though, he jumped in with, "But why didn't you just tell us who you were then? Why pretend to be somebody else?"

Kagome hesitated. "Because, well, because I wasn't sure if you'd forgive me," she said finally. "I wanted to deal with Naraku too."

It was Inuyasha who spoke next. "Look," he said gruffly. "I already told you that it's okay. All that matters is that you're back now."

Kagome blinked back tears. "Thank you, Inuyasha," she whispered. Then she shook her heas vigorously and said, "Well, we should probably start looking for Naraku again soon. I wasn't able to kill him, unfortunately, but I was able to wound him. It would be best if we found him quickly."

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, all nodded in acceptance, but Inuyasha bristled.

"Hey who told you that you got to make all the decisions now?" he yelled.

Now Kagome flared up. "I was just making a suggestion!" she yelled back. "Besides, who told me I couldn't?"

"I did!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said slowly. "SIT!!"

Wham! Inuyasha did a faceplant.

"They'll never change." Miroku commented, sliding his hand unobtrusively towards Sang. Then…

Slap! "And neither will you, pervert!" Sango yelled as he drew her hand back.

"Ah, you're all idiots," Shippo said as both he and Kaede shook their heads. It looked like things were back to normal.

THE END!!!!!

And there you have it, my first story. Sorry again about the long wait for this chapter. Well, see you in two weeks, when I get back from Europe! I'm going to be posting a new story!


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